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December 3–10, 1998
critic pick
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Gussow, who met Mister Satan on 125th Street in Harlem, has always seemed an unlikely partner for the man. The English Ph.D. candidate was raised in Congers, NY, and occasionally writes book reviews for The Spectator and the odd scholarly essay—hardly the busking type, if there is one. But he was always a restless spirit, listening "promiscuously" to early blues musicians as a teen, blowing harp in the undergrad stereo room and turning to his music when women broke his heart. The events described in Mister Satan's Apprentice were culled from 33 journals kept between 1980 and 1993. Although Gussow owns up to the seedy details of his sex life and drug dabbling, he says his mother found these revelations "positively Victorian."
"Blues knew all about where I lived," figures Gussow "The question I try to answer with this book is 'What if you really wanted to know where the music comes from?'"
Gussow has probably come as close to the answer as possible.
Adam Gussow reads from his memoir on Tue., Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., Borders Book Shop, 1727 Walnut Street, 568-7400.
